Expandable/convertible sofa chair

ABSTRACT

An expandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of a base, backrest, two armrests, four small corner cushions, four long edge cushions, centre cushion, two straight connector cushions, two L shaped connector cushions, four feet, four decorative front/back side plates, tabletop plate, centre support board, and four locking mechanisms. The base is a hollowed out square box with a bottom and thick walls that house several cavities symmetrically aligned to mate with the parts that have extruding prongs. When two units are placed side by side the four small corner cushions are removed and replaced with two connector cushions twice the size. The armrests of the touching walls are replaced with long edge cushions and all are locked into place by a locking mechanism at the bottom of the base walls, creating a loveseat. Repeating this procedure creates several different styles, shapes and sizes of furnishings.

This invention consists of a sofa chair that can be expanded intovarious seating arrangements and converted into many other householdfurnishings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sofa chairs have been around for centuries and through the years manyimprovements have come into play to make them more appealing,comfortable and to increase their functionality. Inventors have turnedthem into beds, added swivels, rockers, slides, changed the way they areassembled and unassembled, reconstructed their frame assembly and evenjust put some cushions of different shapes together to form a uniquestyle. Improvements of this nature are shown, for example, in thefollowing International patents:

International Patent Number.

PCT/EP2007/006184 LORE, Vitantonio

PCT/CN2005/000994 GU, Yuewen

PCT/CN2002/000135 WU, Tony

PCT/AU2007/000328 JEFFARES, James

PCT/IB2004/002752 TOFFOLONI, Werther

Even though so many improvements have been made to the sofa chairthroughout the years, no one invention has captured the true versatilityof a sofa chair and neatly packaged it together with all its stylingcapabilities. There are still many problems with living room sets thatstill need improvement, from arranging sets to fit a room to movingbulky sets from house to house. It would be so nice to totally control asets size, shape and style while matching it to any room or décor. Afterall these years it can now finally be done.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Considered broadly, this invention is a sofa chair consisting of severalparts that when mated together with an equal sofa chair can be expandedand converted into several furnishings. The invention when unassembledconsists of a base, backrest, armrests, several cushions, feet, tabletopplate, centre support, locking mechanisms, and decorative front/back andside plates. The base is a perfect hollowed out square with very thickwalls that house several cavities. The top six cavities aresymmetrically aligned on each of the four walls to allow mating with thebackrest, armrests and edge cushions which all have extruding prongswith horizontal slits on each side close to each end. The bottom twocavities are also symmetrically aligned but mate with the lockingmechanism and the feet of the invention. The centre of each inner wallhas a slit running vertically the height of the wall so a support boardcan be installed in any desired direction. Each inner wall also hosts athin horizontal lip mat runs the length of each wall to support thecentre tabletop plate, adding to the strength of the overall support ofthe invention. All edge cushions are comprised of three parts, a cushioncover that is kept in place by Velcro, cushion foam, and a tile likeplate that matches the tabletop plate in colour and texture. The plateof the cushion extrudes a vertical prong or more, (depending on thecushion size), with minor horizontal slits close to each end. The cornercushions are a perfect square extruding only one prong and each sofachair comes with two replacements, a set of two cushions that are twicethe length of the corner cushions extruding two prongs, and a set of Lshaped cushions that are twice the length and twice the depth extrudingthree prongs. These replacement cushions are the secret to thisinvention. When two sofa chairs are placed side by side the four cornercushions of the touching walls are removed and replaced with the set ofcushions that are twice the length. Each prong of these cushions ismated with the corner cavity of the separate sofa chair; the twoarmrests mat are side by side are then removed and replaced with thelonger edge cushions. The locking mechanism is then engaged to lockeverything into place by simply inserting itself into the slits of theprongs and a loveseat is created. By repeating this procedure theloveseat can be expanded into a couch of desired size or shape, withoutthe fear of sitting in the centre of a unit and having each one go itsseparate way. Removing armrests, replacing them with the longer edgecushions and adding more sofa chair units, the consumer can create abed. People can convert the chair into an end table or coffee table ofdesired size simply by removing backrest, armrests and cushions andreplacing them with the tile plates from the edge cushions.

This invention allows people to control the size of their furnishings,mix and match colours and styles limiting all creations only to theimagination and creativity of the consumer.

In the drawings, which are parts of the said invention

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an isometric drawing that describes themating of parts to one sofa chair.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of the base from different views to show thecavities that other parts will mate with.

FIG. 3 is an isometric drawing of each part associated with one sofachair.

FIG. 4 is an isometric drawing of the three parts that each edge cushionis comprised of.

FIG. 5 is a drawing of the locking mechanism, showing the lockingcomponent and its casing.

FIG. 6 is a drawing of the inside of the wall of the base to show thecavities and how the locking mechanism interacts with the prongs to lockthem in place.

FIG. 7 is an isometric drawing of the parts associated with the matingof two sofa chairs.

FIG. 8 is an isometric drawing of the most common styles of furnishingsthat can be created by this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention as seen in FIG. 3, when unassembled consists of one base1, two armrests 2, one backrest 3, four small corner cushions 4, fourlong edge cushions 5, one centre cushion 21, two straight connectorcushions 20, two L shaped connector cushions 19, four decorativefront/back and side plates 6, four feet 7, one tabletop plate 18, onecentre support 22, and four locking mechanisms FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 2 the base 1 can be constructed of wood or a plasticcomposite and is a perfect hollowed out square box with a bottom andvery thick walls mat house several cavities 8, 9, 13, and 14. Thesewalls must be the same thickness as each long edge cushion 5, smallcorner cushion 4 and either connector cushion 19, 20. The top has threecavities 8 mat are perfectly square and run the depth of the wall. Thecavities are also symmetrically aligned on each of the four walls toallow mating with the backrest 3, armrests 2, small edge cushions 4,long edge cushions 5, straight connector cushions 20 or the L shapedconnector cushions 19. These parts all have extruding prongs 25 that areabout half the height of the base wall and squared to fit the cavities 8of the wall. The prongs also have horizontal slits 27 on each side closeto each end. The bottom cavity 14 is squared to the dimensions of thefeet prongs that it mates with and the bottom cavity 13 which is thelength, width, and height of the locking mechanism casing 17 minus thefastening Up is inserted and fastened into the cavity 13 by screws.These cavities 13, 14 are also symmetrically aligned along the bottom ofthe walls of the base. The centre of each inner wall has a slit 11running vertically the height of the wall so a support board 22 can beinstalled in any desired direction. Each inner wall also hosts a thinhorizontal lip 12 mat runs the length of each wall to support the centretabletop plate 18, adding to the strength of the overall support of theinvention. The depth of tile lip from the top of the base is slightlyless then the thickness of the tabletop plate 18. The reason for this isso a person can easily remove it by grabbing any edge and lifting. Thetile like plate that is attached to every small corner cushion 4, longedge cushion 5, or connector cushions 19, 20 is then the thickness ofthe distance between the top of the base 1 to the top of the tabletopplate 18 to ensure a nice flat surface. The outer wall of the base 1 hasa slight rectangular indent 15 leaving a minor border on all four walls.

In the centre of the rectangle indent there are three symmetricallyplaced cut through squares 16, these mate with three small prongs thathold the decorative front/back and side plates 6 in place. Thedecorative front/back and side plates 6 are the size of the indent onthe outer walls and is wrapped in the same material used for theupholstery of the invention. When the decorative front/back and sideplates 6 are in place in the indent of the outer wall they will restflush with the outer walls.

All edge cushions are comprised of three parts as FIG. 4 illustrates, aleather or fabric cushion cover 22 that is kept in place by Velcro 26,cushion foam 23, and a tile like plate 24 that matches the tabletopplate in colour and texture. The plate of the cushion extrudes avertical prong 25 or more, (depending on the cushion size) which is atleast half the height of the base 1 wall, with minor horizontal slits 27close to each end. All prongs 25 and plates 24 should be created from asolid, strong yet lightweight material like aluminium. The small cornercushions 4 are a perfect square extruding only one prong 25 and eachsofa chair comes with two replacements, a set of two straight connectorcushions 20, that are twice the length of the corner cushions extrudingtwo prongs 25, and a set of L shaped connector cushions 19 that aretwice the length and twice the depth extruding three prongs 25 each withslits 27 close to the ends. All edge cushions can be of desired heightfor added comfort but must remain the thickness of the base 1 wall.These replacement cushions are one of the secrets to this invention.

The other secret is in the shape of the armrests 2 and the backrest 3.They are constructed of a wooden frame, foam or some other form ofstuffing and then upholstered in leather or fabric much like any othersofa chair would be. While the armrest 2 or backrest 3 is the fulllength of the base wall, the bottom of the armrest 2 or backrest 3however has and extruded portion centred that is the exact size of thelonger edge cushion 5 and shorter then the base 1 wall by one cornercushion 4 on each side This T shape allows the armrest 2 and thebackrest 3 to replace the long edge cushion 5 and over lap the cornercushions 4 when it is mated with the base 1. The soft part and frame ofthe armrest 2 and the backrest 3 must also be created and stuffed in amanner that allows the ends to be pressed together in a way matgenerates an approximately 45 degree angle on all ends.

Illustration FIG. 1 has an over exaggerated example of this angle. Theextruded portion which is the size of the long edge cushions 5 of thearmrest 2 and the backrest 3 have two prongs 25 which face downward andare the length of half the height of the base 1 wall with slits 27 closeto the bottom. These prongs 25 are spaced to align with the two centrecavities 8 of the base 1 wall.

Explained in FIG. 5 the locking mechanism FIG. 5 is comprised of a solidblock shorter in length men the casing 17 with three horizontal L shapedprongs extruding upward 28. This block is placed in a casing 17 with anopening in the bottom to allow the knob of the block 29 to be movedfreely but snug, in a side-to-side motion. FIG. 6 illustrates that whenthe locking mechanism FIG. 5 is in place in its cavity 13 the lockingmechanism FIG. 5 can be engaged by sliding the knob 29 to the side andcausing the horizontal parts of the prongs of the solid block 28 to fitinto small cut outs 30 in the cavity walls 9. This in turns lockseverything into place by simply inserting me horizontal part of theseprongs into the slits 27 of the mating prongs 25 of the armrest 2,backrest 3, corner cushions 4 and all edge cushions 5.

When two sofa chairs 35 are placed side by side the four corner cushions4 of the touching walls are removed and replaced with the set ofstraight connector cushions 20 that are twice the length. Each prong 25of the straight connector cushions 20 is mated with the corner cavity 8of the separate sofa chair; the two armrests 2 that are side by side arethen removed and replaced with the longer edge cushions 5. The lockingmechanism FIG. 5 is then engaged and a safe solid loveseat has beencreated. This procedure is illustrated in FIG. 7. By repeating thisprocedure the loveseat can be expanded into a couch of desired size orshape, without the fear of sitting m the centre of a unit and havingeach one go its separate way. Removing armrests, replacing them with thelonger edge cushions and adding more sofa chair units, the consumer cancreate a bed. People can convert the sofa chair 35 into an end table orcoffee table of desired size simply by removing backrest, armrests andcushions and replacing them with the tile plates from the edge cushions.FIG. 8 is an illustration of the most common furnishings that can becreated using this invention. These are just the more common stylesknown to most people, a sofa chair 35, a loveseat 33, a couch 32, asectional couch 31, a lounger 34, an ottoman 36, and end or coffeetables 37. The invention allows people to control the size of theirfurnishings, mix and match colours and styles, creating furnishings onlylimited by imagination.

1. An expandable and convertible sofa chair unit which is packedunassembled and consists of a base, one backrest, two armrests, foursmall corner cushions, four long edge cushions, one centre cushion, twostraight connector cushions, two L shaped connector cushions, four feet,four decorative front/back side plates, one tabletop plate, one centresupport board, and four locking mechanisms.
 2. An expandable andconvertible sofa chair which when assembled, consists of a base with asupport board installed in the centre, a tabletop plate slightly raisedon the inner lips of the base, two armrests, a backrest, four smallcorner cushions, one long edge cushion on the front portion of the base,a centre cushion, four decorative front/back side plates flush with theouter base walls, and four feet.
 3. An expandable and convertible sofachair which mates together with backrest, armrests, small cornercushions, long edge cushions, and connector cushions by means of prongsthat are half the height of the base wall in claim 8 and squared withslits close to the bottom so they can fit any small wall cavity and belocked into place by the locking mechanism.
 4. An expandable andconvertible sofa chair consisting of the combination in claim 2, whichconverts to an ottoman by simply removing backrest, armrests andreplacing them by the long edge cushion found in the combination ofclaim
 1. 5. An expandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of thecombination in claim 2, which converts to an end table by simplyremoving all the cushions that rest on the base and revealing thetabletop, then removing the long edge cushion tile like plates and thecorner cushion tile like plates and mating them with the base from claim8.
 6. An expandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of thecombination in claim 2, with decorative front/back and side plates whichmate with large rectangular indents on the outer side of the base wallsso that when the decorative plates are in place they sit flush.
 7. Anexpandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of the combination inclaim 2, elevated by four square shaped feet listed in claim 1, withcentred upward prongs that mate with the bottom corner cavities of thebase in claim
 8. 8. An expandable and convertible sofa chair consistingof a base which is a perfect hollowed out square box with a bottom andvery thick walls that house several cavities, slits, cut outs, and lipssymmetrically aligned to mate with the combination of parts fromclaim
 1. 9. An expandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of thecombination in claim 2, that includes a backrest and two armrests, whichhave a T shaped bottom that replaces the long edge cushion and overlapsthe small corner cushions when mated on any wall of the base by means ofprongs.
 10. An expandable and convertible sofa chair consisting ofcushions from claim 1 that are the thickness of the base wall andcomprised of cushion covers, cushion foam, and a tile like plate withprongs that mate with any wall of the base from claim
 8. 11. Anexpandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of the combination inclaim 2, which includes a locking mechanism consisting of a block withupward L shaped prongs that is encased and insert in the bottom cavitiesof the base in claim 8 and can be moved side to side to slip through anopening and into the slits of the prongs in claim 3 that mate with thebase.
 12. An expandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of thecombination in claim 1, the two straight connector cushions are doublethe length of a small corner cushion and comprised of cushion cover,cushion foam, and a tile like plate extruding two prongs perfectlyaligned with the corner cavities of two different bases placed side byside to lock the bases together to form a loveseat design.
 13. Anexpandable and convertible sofa chair consisting of the combination inclaim 1, the two connector cushions that are of an L shape are doublethe length of a small corner cushion in both directions and comprised ofcushion cover, cushion foam, and a tile like plate extruding threeprongs perfectly aligned with the corner cavities of three differentbases placed side by side to lock the bases together in a sectionaldesign.
 14. An expandable and convertible sofa chair consistingessentially of interchangeable parts that allows the uniting of unitsfrom claim 1 to create furnishings of different styles, colours, andsizes to match any room or décor, without compromising the safety andstrength of a solid piece of furniture by using the connectors in claim12 and 13 to lock everything into place.